LOUIE’S RELATIONSHIPS: A THOUGHT-PROVOKING TAKE ON WOMEN OR A DEPICTION OF HIS MISUNDERSTANDING? Kristina Kokkonos 10.1 Pamela Adlon as Pamela and Louis C.K. as Louie in Louie, “Bobby’s House” Louis C.K. is no stranger to exploring women in his comedic material, – as most male standups tend to do – and his dark sitcom, Louie, offers a fascinating take on his fictional character’s romantic endeavors throughout five seasons. Traditional love interest archetypes are present throughout the show: the one-night stand, the romantic tragedy, the on-again-off- again skeleton of a relationship. Each time a female character is introduced, however, his encounters with them are hardly understandable and, in some cases, entirely bizarre. From a feminist perspective, this is potentially exciting and positive in the sense that female characters in a male-written, directed, and produced comedy are depicted as multifaceted and complex. But a comparison of these types of characters that Louie is interested in leads viewers to identify a commonality: they are all impossible to figure out. Juxtaposing four enigmatic, female characters in Louie 135